The rehabilitation of some roads in Harare for the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit has resulted in congestion and traffic chaos in the capital.
Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, said he will seek an urgent meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Felix Mhona, to address the traffic congestion.
Mafume said the rehabilitation of roads has heavily affected people living in areas like Harare West where the roads that lead to the New Parliament building in Mt Hampden are situated. Said Mafume:
We need to urgently address this issue with the Minister of Transport. The works on the city centre roads and those leading to the new Parliament have worsened the situation.
We had been promised that upgrading of Julius Nyerere would take just three weeks but now it’s more than two months.
People are spending 4 hours going to work and another 4 hours going back home. Many are failing to get to the airport on time, some are missing important engagements.
The traffic situation is terrible, something has to be done. The residents are suffering.
Mafume said he might also seek an audience with the companies doing the road rehabilitation for them to state their timelines.
At least 40 greater roads in and around the city have been lined up for the rehabilitation exercise.
The roads where the ministry shall apply asphaltic concrete overlay includes Samora Machel (Jaggers to Kuwadzana Roundabout), Dieppe roundabout, Glenara/Samora junction, Glenara/ED Mnangagwa Road, Chiremba (through Braeside), Robert Mugabe/Abdel Gamal Nasser, Josiah Tongogara, Harare Drive roundabout Jaggers, Lomagundi Road (selected sections), Simon Muzenda Street/Robert Mugabe junction to Tongogara Road, and Simon Muzenda Street/Robert Mugabe junction to Tongogara Road.
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